> >Do you hear that Dyce? I was very, very disappointed. A Disappointed Poi. A Poi, lost in the wilderness of Disappointment. Do you want that on your conscience? Do you?

> Yeah!
> Me feel same
> Hurry or I will send the Very Angry Man-Eating Bacon
> at you
> Muah hahahaha!

Now, I have an assignment for Medieval Europe that's late... also a Media Report... and I really should at least try to study... *sighs* But I can't have a poor lost Disappointed Poi on my conscience, can I? Not to mention the Very Angry Man-Eating Bacon. *g* So here you go, guys, here's the next bit, just for you. Everyone else say thank you to Poi and Turlock for making me finish it. ;)

"Awhuh¡¦" Bobby Drake opened his eyes blearily. There were several figures standing around him¡¦ okay, several upright blurs that were probably people. One of them was a white blur, and he lifted a hand weakly. "No needle," he said as firmly as he could. "Ab's'lutely no needle."

"No needle," Emma's cool voice was much softer than usual. "How do you feel?"

Bobby thought about that for a while. "C'n feel my head, my left hand, and my butt," he announced after a minute. "They feel fine. 'Cept my head's all fuzzy." He blinked a few times, and his vision cleared. Scott, Jean, and Warren were standing beside him, looking tired and worried. Gambit was leaning against the wall, and Emma was at the foot of his bed, with an uncharacteristically concerned look on her face. He thought about what he'd just said. "Where's the rest of me?"

"You've just been sedated." Jean's voice was, as always, rich and soothing. "You're going to be just fine, Bobby. Just rest, okay?" There was three 'just's in there. That was less than reassuring.

"Yeah. You mixed it up with Magneto while your voice was still breaking, remember? There isn't a truck around that can take you out." Warren nodded in agreement. Truck. And bringing up Magneto. Definitely not reassuring.

Bobby gave them a suspicious look, then turned his eyes down past the twin lumps that were his feet **oh good, they're still there** until his gaze met Emma's. "What happened, and what state 'm I in?" he asked her.

"Y' tried to take on a moving van in dat little roadster," Gambit supplied. "Y' lost. Docs say you gonna be fine, though."

"Emma, you tell me." Bobby lifted his hand weakly for emphasis. "I wanna hear it from you."

"Why?" She lifted an eyebrow inquiringly.

"Because you're not nice enough to try and soften the blow."

"Fair enough." Her voice was as smooth as ever, but the mocking note seemed to have taken the night off. "As Gambit said, you were in a two-car accident. Your car was destroyed, and you were pulled out of the wreckage and taken to the nearest emergency room. There you spent three hours in surgery and four in recovery, before you were moved here. You had another bout of surgery the following day, and are now out of the woods, according to the extremely expensive surgeon I procured for you. Most of the damage should heal without many problems, although apparently your right knee is still less than it could be. The accident occurred two days ago, and this is the first time you have fully returned to conciousness."

"Oh." He mulled that over, as his friends turned a united glare on Emma. Emma shrugged a white-clad shoulder, calmly inspecting her nails. Bobby approved of that. Befuddled he still might be, but as long as Emma was still being brutally honest and more concerned with her nails than with anyone's opinion of her, then Bobby was confident that the world was still roughly the way it should be. In a way, he thought wryly, her complete lack of interest in reassuring him was very reassuring. "Okay. I take it everything's still attached?"

"Not quite. You lost three fingernails and half a toe." Emma shrugged. "But the doctors assured us that the last joint of the second smallest toe serves no real practical purpose. You won't miss it."

"My toe, huh?" Bobby squinted down at his feet again. "I can live with that."

"I should think so." Emma glided towards the door. "I will inform the doctors that you are awake." She left without bothering to say goodbye.

* * *

Some time later, Bobby woke up again. Everyone was gone, except for Emma, who was standing over him with an intent look on her face. "Good," she said calmly. "I almost thought I wouldn't be able to wake you."

"Wake me why?" Bobby frowned. "The doctor said I needed sleep."

"You have a visitor. I had to wake you before your annoyingly clingy friends got back from dinner." She shrugged, and strolled out of the room, hips swaying.

A moment later, a familiar face popped around the door. "Bobby?"

"JUBES!" He tried to sit up, and winced. Bad idea. "Jubes, you're back!"

"Not exactly¡¦" She slipped into the room, pattering over to his bed. "I ain't back-back, I just stopped by ta see you." She took his hand carefully. "How do you feel?"

"Like something Sabretooth dragged in." He smiled a little, despite the slight shock that went through him at the sight of her. She looked taller, and very much older. The familiar yellow raincoat was gone, replaced by a soft suede coat in deep purple, over a silky black shirt and skin-tight dark blue jeans. Even her shoes were different¡¦ soft black boots instead of the usual sneakers. Her sophisticated haircut accentuated the change, folding daintily around her head to frame her exquisite face. Funny¡¦ he'd never realised how beautiful she was before.

She'd been a child before.

He pushed the musings away, and poked her gently."You've grown. Like the hair."

She touched it a little self-consciously. "Ya do?"

"Sure." Bobby pulled on her hand. "Sit down already, you're making me feel tired just looking at you." He looked her over appraisingly, and scowled. "You've lost weight."

"I haven't. I'm just taller is all." Jubilee sat down on the chair beside his bed, still holding his hand. "Jono makes me eat properly and all that."

"Oh, yeah, him. My replacement." Bobby grinned weakly. "Bet he can't set water-traps like I can."

"Nope. He spoils me more than you do, though." Her tiny pixie face lit up as she smiled fondly. "He's the best¡¦ right along with you, o'course."

Outside, the aforementioned Jono was having a carefully shielded telepathic conversation with the White Queen.

<*What did you DO to yourself?*>

<*Was tryin' ta help Jubilee. I had t' find 'er using my powers, an' I think I busted something.*>

<*You can say THAT again.*> Emma probed lightly, and winced. <*You did a lot of damage in there. It's going to take a long time to heal.*>

Jono shrugged. <*Easy come, easy go. As long as Jubilee's okay.*>

Emma smiled in spite of herself. <*You've been taking good care of her. She keeps complaining about how you make her eat right and exercise.*>

<*Course. She's me mate. 's what friends do, innit?*>

<*Only the good ones.*> Emma shook her head, and touched the small white bandage that covered her nose. <*The bad ones beat up your teachers.*>

<*Who did that?*> Jono touched her shoulder, looking concerned. <*Jubes said yer had a broken nose, but she didn't know how it happened.*>

<*Wolverine broke it when he found out when Jubilee was missing. A couple of weeks after she'd left.*> she explained, wincing a little. <*Probably would have been a lot worse if the other students hadn't been there watching.*> She gave Jono an assessing look. <*You've been with her. Do you think telling her would be a good thing, or a bad one?*>

Jono thought about it. <*I don't think it'd do any harm, but it won't help, either. It'll just get her all confused about him again.*>

Emma shrugged. <*I won't tell her, then.*>

<*I will, if she asks.*> Jono shook his head. <*I ain't keeping any secrets from her. She knows that, 's why she still trusts me.*>

<*Fair enough.*> Emma smiled her rare, genuine smile. <*You're a good friend to her.*>

<*Do my best.*> Jono scuffled one foot on the floor, looking embarrassed. <*She's my best friend and all.*>

<*She doesn't intend to stay, you know.*> Emma's gaze was direct. <*Are you planning to go with her?*>

<*A'course.*> He looked up, surprised. <*I said I'd stick this out and I will. I'm goin' with her for as long as she wants me there.*>

<*What about Paige? I was under the impression that you two had feelings for each other.*> Emma raised an enquiring eyebrow.

Jono shuffled, trying to find the right words. <*We do. Well, I do, anyway. But¡¦ this is different. Jubilee¡¦ I'm all she's got. If I let her down now, she'll just blow out like a candle. I care fer Paige, I really do, but her life will go on without me fer a while. Jubilee's won't. That's a responsibility I ain't gonna let go.*>

Inside, Jubilee was entertaining Bobby with a slightly exaggerated version of Jono's performance on the way to the hairdresser. Bobby laughed so hard he nearly choked. Giggling, Jubilee filled a water glass, and handed it to him. "When he got dragged off by that Ric guy¡¦ you shoulda SEEN the look on his face, it was even better than the time we rigged that blind date between Warren and Val Cooper."

Bobby wiped his eyes, taking a sip of the water. "I wish I'd been there to see it. Did you get yours done then too?"

"Yup." Jubilee glanced in the mirror of the window with the night behind it. "It's kinda dramatic but I like that."

Bobby looked over too. She looked¡¦ older. Inside the room, it was still Jubilee sitting on his bed, but in the window¡¦ in the window a young woman looked back at him, with tired eyes and stars in her dark hair. Bobby sighed, looking away. "It suits you."

"Really?" Jubilee looked hopefully at him, and he wondered for a moment if he'd imagined the weary, distant expression in the reflection. "You don't think it's too much?"

No¡¦ maybe it was the drugs they'd given him, maybe he was just over-tired¡¦ but something vital was gone from Jubilee. And, if he looked closely, something vital in Jubilation was slowly unfurling to take its place. "Dramatic is good. You've always been dramatic. Never-do-anything-by-halves Lee, that's you." Deliberately, he turned her wrist over, letting the sleeve slip back to reaveal the still-pink scar.

"You know me. I always liked the big gestures." She smiled wryly. It made her look older.

"You'n me both." He nodded, patting her wrist. "You realize that now *I* can't do this. Can't follow a performance like that." He let the tired bitterness that hid behind his own cheery exterior show though. Jubilee knew it was there.

"Least I achieved something, then." Somehow, it was easy to talk to Bobby. He was a good enough friend to be comfortable with, but uninvolved enough in the problem that he could be objective about it. "I dunno¡¦ I feel a lot better now. Not about the X-Men¡¦ but about me."

"That's good." Bobby reached out and pulled her close. "Don't do that anymore, okay? I would have missed you."

"'k." Jubilee's voice was muffled in his shoulder. "I would have missed you too. Don't you pick fights with any more trucks, okay?"

"Deal." He kissed the top of her head lightly. "I won't be dumb if you won't."

"Good." She kissed his cheek and sat up, wiping her eyes. "How do you feel? Really?"

"Like a truck hit me," he said, straight faced. She glared, and smacked his forehead, it being the only obviously unbruised spot. "Okay, okay¡¦ I can't feel much right now, since I've got about a million sedatives and anaesthetics in me, but according to Emma, I lost part of a toe and my right knee is screwed up. I badgered Hank about that until he told me that I've lost a lot of cartilage, and I severed some important stuff. They don't know how well it'll heal yet." He grinned wryly. "I'm gonna be in a wheelchair for a while. I'll have to get a suit and one of those bald caps."

Jubilee smiled, and patted his hand. "Guess yer gonna hafta have a bunch of physiotherapy and stuff, huh?"

"Yup. Maybe more surgery, too." Bobby was quiet for a minute, then he grinned. "But guess what?"

"What?"

"I've got a plastic kneecap. Little pink one, Hank said."

Jubilee giggled. "Eew!"

"I'm still trying to get a spare one so I can show it to people and point to my leg." Bobby smiled at her. "Anyway, when I'm out of the hospital, I'm being assigned to the school as an interim teacher. Maybe permanent, depending on how well my knee heals."

"Really? That's great!" Jubilee beamed. "Yer gonna love it there. Nobody's seen any of yer jokes yet. All the golden oldies will work again."

"Yeah¡¦ and you left just in time, too." He grinned. "Perfect timing."

"Huh? Why?" Jubilee looked confused. "I'd *like* havin' ya there."

"Jubes¡¦" he grinned, tapping her nose with one finger. "What's my ordinary profession¡¦¡¦?"

"Yer an accountant."

"Which means I will be teaching¡¦..?"

"Oh." She wrinkled her nose. "Math."

"Bingo. You got out just in time." He chuckled, then his face grew serious. "I would have been there if I'd known."

"I know." Jubilee smiled at him. "Listen¡¦ Jono and I are gonna be off again as soon as I'm through visiting, but I'll write, okay? It'll be easier now that yer going to the school."

"Where are you going?" Bobby touched her cheek. "I kinda hoped you'd stick around for a while. I miss my bud."

She smiled that wry, twisted smile again. "Me too, but I ain't ready ta deal with the other X-Men yet. 'm still royally ticked at them. Speaking of whom, I should go before they get back. Emma had ta buy them all off with dinner and sneak us in though a service door so I could see you." She stood up, leaning down to kis his cheek. "You take care of yerself, okay? Oh, and Angelo has a lotta trouble with algebra, so go easy on him. He does his best."

"Will do." Bobby's eyes were already starting to close, despite his best efforts to stay awake. "Send your tall friend in black in for a minute, would you? I wanna talk to this guy you're replacing me with."

Jubilee chuckled. "Okay, but just for a minute. Then you need to sleep." She reached into a pocket, and dropped a slip of paper on the bedside table. "This is fer Them." He could hear the capital. "Pass it on for me?"

"Sure. You come and see me again sometime, okay?"

"Sometime," she agreed. "Bye, Bobster. Take care."

"Bye¡¦" She slipped out the door and was gone. A moment later, a tall figure in unrelieved black slid into the room like a spectre of death come to claim him. Bobby winced at the fanciful notion, and firmly pushed it away. "Jono, right?"

The boy nodded.

"Listen¡¦ I just wanted to thank you. For taking care of her." Bobby's voice was starting to slur as he fought a valiant rear-guard action against sleep. "An' I just wan'ed to say¡¦ if you do anything t' hurt her, knee or no knee, I'm coming af'er you with a shotgun."

Outside, Emma and Jubilee looked at each other assessingly. There hadn't been much time for talk on the frantic drive from the airport, or while they waited for the X-Men to leave. Now, suddenly, there was no reason not to.

"Whassup, Frosty?" Jubilee's tone was faintly mocking. "Not gonna say how much I've grown?"

"You have grown." Emma's voice was soft, and a little sad. "You've grown up." And I missed it, she didn't say. I wasn't there. "I take it you've overcome your block, then."

"You¡¦ knew?"

"Of course. I didn't think it wise to bring it up, however. Some things must be dealt with in their own time." She smiled ruefully. "Believe me, I know the feeling."

"Guess you would." Jubilee matched the smile with a wry twist of her own lips. "Jono thinks I'm getting taller 'cause subconsciously I've decided to grow up."

"He may be right." Emma nodded. She looked at her former student, and suddenly her eyes filled. "I wish I could have made this easier, Jubilee¡¦"

Somewhat to her own surprise, Jubilee hugged her teacher fiercely, resting her cheek on one white linen shoulder. "I know you do, but there's nothing you coulda done. Honest."

"I should have known something was wrong." Emma's voice cracked almost imperceptibly.

"How? Y' ain't God, Frosty." Jubilee's voice was firm. "Don't beat yerself up, okay? All this¡¦ it's fer the best. Really, it is. I needed this. I needed ta be able to let go."

A dark figure loomed beside them, wrapping long arms around both of them. Jubilee chuckled a little at the surprised look on Emma's face. "Thanks, Jono. Hugs all around." She grinned at Emma. "Jono thinks a hug is some kinda magic bandage that fixes everything. Ya get used to it."

Emma smiled wistfully as Jubilee automatically leaned against Jono, looking as comforted as a child holding a favourite toy. Jono, she suspected, was absolutely right, at least as far as Jubilee was concerned. He winked over the top of Jubilee's head, and Emma chuckled a little. "We should be going. The others will be back very soon." She herded the two teenagers down the hall and back out through the service door. "Have you decided where you want to go next?"

"Paris."

Emma blinked. "Any special reason?"

Jubilee grinned a bit shamefacedly. "They showed 'Sabrina' on the plane."

"Ah." Emma nodded, keeping a straight face with some difficulty. "You still have the passports I gave you?" They both nodded. "Good. I'll have Bumpkin take you to the airport, and I'll arrange two first-class tickets for you."

"First class, huh?" Jubilee smiled, her face brightening. "I've never flown on the good side of the little curtain before."

"You will now." Emma smiled her customary cool smile. "But don't even think about trying to convince the flight attendants to give you alcohol."

"We won't." Jubilee agreed amiably as they stepped out into the parking lot. "And thanks fer the credit card, by the way."

"Think of it as a venture in trust." Emma ushered them towards the limo. "I'll trust you not to ludicrously overspend my hard-earned money and you'll trust me to keep it paid off, hm?"

<*Wot about mine?*> Jono's eyes crinkled at the corners.

"Yours will remain current at all times."

"That's not fair!" Jubilee protested immediately.

"It's my money, I don't have to be fair. That¡¦" Emma trailed off, looking over Jubilee's shoulder. "Into the limo, right now." Without waiting for an answer, she shoved them both inside, snapping at Bumpkin to head straight for the airport. "Goodbye, both of you. I expect you to call me regularly. Take care of each other." She shut the door, and Bumpkin pulled away before either of them could speak.

"I don't get-" Jubilee's voice faded into a gasp as they pulled out of the parking lot, and, for one frozen moment, stopped only a few inches away from a minivan full of X-Men.

They were back early.

Jubilee stared, paralyzed, through the window. Rogue and Gambit were sitting only a couple of feet away, obviously talking about something, Rogue on the end, and Gambit beside her. It was impossible to tell who was on the other side of Gambit. They were sitting there, heads close together. Rogue's face was turned away from her. Gambit, if his eyes moved only a fraction, would be looking straight into Jubilee's eyes.

He was looking straight into Jubilee's eyes. His own eyes widened, then shuttered quickly. He said something to Rogue, apparently trying to keep her attention. But it was too late. Rogue turned, and looked out of the window, down at Jubilee.

Jubilee was frozen in place, unable to move. They had seen her. They had to have.

They both looked at her for a moment, then Gambit's lips quirked, and he blew her a kiss. Jubilee blinked. Rogue smiled sadly, surreptitiously touching her own fingers to her lips as the limo drew away.

Jono reached out, drawing Jubilee into his lap and holding her close. She cried all the way to the airport.

* * *

"Bobby? You awake, sugah?" Rogue peeked into the room. Bobby was asleep, his left hand tucked under his pillow, his bandaged right draped across his stomach. Rogue smiled, easing the door shut quietly. "He's sleepin'. Let's not wake him up."

"Too late." Bobby's voice was still weak, but clear. "Come in."

"Hi." Rogue slipped through the door. "Ya had a visitor, huh?"

"How did you know?" Bobby shot her a suspicious look.

"Ah-" There was a shout outside. Then several more shouts. "Ah guess Wolvie just got the scent."

"Here. She said to pass this along." Bobby picked up a slip of paper from the table beside his bed, and held it out. "Would you?"

"Sure thing. Ah'll tell ya later what happens." His eyes were already closing again as she headed out into the storm.

Emma was bailed up against the wall, with Gambit acting as a human shield between her and several very angry X-Men. Colossus was forcibly restraining Wolverine, who'd roused from his depression for the first time in months to scream obscenities Rogue had never heard in her life before. Most of them were, by the sound of them, in German. By the look on Nightcrawler's face, they were bad ones.

"Chere?" Gambit shot her a pleading look, trying to keep himself between Psylocke, Angel, Storm and an exhausted looking Emma Frost. "If dat li'l piece of paper is somet'ing important, t'ink you could draw some of de heat away from us, hahn?"

"Bobby says she asked him ta pass this on to us." Rogue handed the note to Beast, firmly adding herself to the human barricade protecting Emma from the rest of the group. "What's it say?"

Beast scanned it, and scowled. "Not much." He refolded the paper carefully, and deliberately stepped over to align himself with Rogue and Gambit. "It gives the name of a radio station, and a time to listen. It is quite definitely her writing, however."

"What are we going to do?" Angel asked, glaring daggers at Emma. "I mean, she can't have gone far."

"We will spread out, and conduct a search." Storm's voice was perhaps a little less calm than usual, but no less commanding. "We will find her, and bring her home."

"We got no right to do that, Storm," Rogue disagreed.

"Roguie's right, de petite's entitled to make her own decisions." Remy seconded. "Didn't see any o' you chasin' after HER when she'n Drake did de exact same t'ing. Dis a personal choice." At that, a hubbub of conflicting voices broke out.

"Completely different-"

"We can't make her-"

"Just a child-"

"Not our place-"

"We're her family-"

"Our duty to her-"

"Enough!" Storm's raised voice cut through the clamour like sharpened steel. "I am in command, and I say we are going after her. We will search for her, and that is an order."

"No you won't." Cyclops spoke for the first time.

"What?" Storm looked genuinely surprised. "I have given an order!"

"And I've overridden it." Scott's voice was as low and calm as ever, but there was pure ice in that tone. "Nobody goes after her."

"You cannot be serious!" Storm's eyes narrowed in fury. "You do not have the authority to do that!"

"Watch me." Scott quite deliberately turned his back on her. "Rogue, stay here with Bobby until Jean comes to relieve you. Remy, I think you should take Emma back to her apartment. We wouldn't want anyone getting¡¦ overwrought. Hank, Piotr, I think Logan should go home too. This is difficult for all of us, people, but this is how it has to be."

"Why?" Angel demanded. "What gives you the right to do this?"

Scott wheeled around, almost snarling. "I'm the oldest, and the senior X-Man, and for once I'm pulling rank." He scanned the assembled X-Men with a glare they could feel right through the ruby-quartz glasses. "We may not have much in the way of mutual trust any more¡¦ and I'm not blaming Remy for that¡¦ but we can at least attempt a measure of mutual respect. Jubilee has, like several others before her, decided that she needs time away to clear her head, and we are ALL going to respect that!" You could have sharpened scythes on his voice at that moment. "You WILL respect her choice, her desires, and her person in this matter, or friend or no friend I will hunt down every single one who doesn't and I will KILL THEM MYSELF!" The scythes themselves were in his voice as he lowered it to a semblance of his usual calm tones. "Have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal." There was a note of approval in Beast's voice.

"Good. I think it's time we went home, then." Scott's voice softened. "I'm sure we'll all see things more clearly after a good night's sleep."

* * *

~You okay now?~ Jono signed, gazing worriedly at Jubilee.

"I guess." Jubilee leaned back in her seat as the plane started to taxi down the runway. "I'll be even better once we're in the air." Jono nodded, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him, sighing softly. "What would I do without you?"

Jono tapped her wrist and gave her a meaningful look.. She smiled humourlessly. "That too, yeah. Can I have your scotch?"

~No.~

"Spoilsport." She sighed again, and ran her hand through her hair. "I could really use one." In answer Jono dug around in his jacket pocket, and pulled out a bag of chocolate-chip cookies, only slightly squashed. He held them out hopefully, his eyes on her face. "Thanks." It was utterly ridiculous to suddenly feel happy becaause someone had given you a cookie, but she did. "What's with you and cookies, anyway?"

Jono shrugged, and crinkled at her, touching her cheek lightly. Jubilee smiled back, resting her head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

He frowned. ~?~

"Fer not stayin'. Fer makin' ya keep travelling and all." Her voice had a guilty note. "I know ya miss Paige."

Jono nodded, then patted her hand soothingly. ~Much time.~

"Yeah¡¦" She was dozing now, worn out after the long bout of weeping. "All th' time in the world¡¦"

* * *

"We all here?"

"Yup."

"All listening?"

"Uh-huh."

The radio clicked on.

"Hey there, listeners! We've got a special request here, and the young lady sounds pretty down, so I'm gonna play it right away. This song is for the old gang, from Jubilee, who's saying the big goodbye tonight as she heads outta the States into the big wide world. Have a good trip, kiddo! So here it is, guys, 'Reflection', by Christina Aguilera."

Look at me
You may think you see
Who I really am
But you'll never know me
Every day it's as if I play a part
Now I see if I wear a mask,
I can fool the world
But I cannot fool my heart

**Nor should you. Fly away, Jubilee, while you still have your heart¡¦** Cyclops closed his eyes, resting his cheek on his wife's hair.

Who is that girl I see
Staring straight
Back at me?
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?

**When y'all let it, sugah¡¦ when ya dig down through all the stuff that other folks've put there and find the part of you that *is* you deep down inside.**

I am now in a world where I
Have to hide my heart
And what I believe in.
But somehow I will show the world,
What's inside my heart,
And be loved for who I am.

**Yeah, you tell 'em, kid. You go find yourself a place where the world fits you, and damn the Dream if it doesn't.** Bobby reached out a weak hand to touch the small transistor. <>

Who is that girl I see?
Staring straight
Back at me?
Why is my reflection someone I don't know?

Hank closed his eyes, suddenly feeling very old. **Now there's a familiar sentiment¡¦ Good luck on your peregrinations, Jubilation. We miss you already.**

Must I pretend that I'm
Someone else
For all time?
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?

**But it isn't like that, child¡¦ come back to us, and you will see that everything will be fine. You do not need to run from us to 'find' yourself, you ARE yourself¡¦** Storm left the room quietly, closing her ears to the plaintive tune.

There's a heart that must be free
To fly¡¦
That burns with a need to know
The reason why¡¦

**Dosvidanya, little one, wherever you are¡¦ I too, question this path fate has chosen for us. Perhaps we will meet someday in the outside world, and never know each other.**

Why must we all conceal
What we think?
How we feel?
Must there be a secret me
I'm forced to hide?

**Ah, it must be nice to have the choice, nein?** Kurt looked at his reflection in the darkened window and sighed. **Do not hide yourself, liebchen. Safe journey, and a warm hearth at the end of it.**

I won't pretend that I'm
Someone else for all time!
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?
When will my reflection show
Who I am
Inside?

**Pretending only get y' in trouble, petite. Dat an' secrets. Trust ol' Remy, de fresh start don' work when y' bring de old one wit' you¡¦ but go ahead and try anyway. You spread dem wings.**

**Miss ya, kid¡¦ I need ya, please come back¡¦ please¡¦**

**Come back.**

**Fly away.**

**Be safe.**

**Be happy.**

**Be free.**

End Part Eleven

Note: 'Reflection' is from the Mulan soundtrack. It struck me as perfectly encapsulating what Jubilee is going through right now, and I just had to include it, even though I don't have permission to use it. *g*